The potential spread of Swine Flu in schools and among young people is a major concern. TeachersFirst's editors have collected this helpful information for teachers, students, and parents to better understand the virus, how it is spread, and what YOU can do to stay healthy. This collection of resources has been hand-picked for accuracy and for age-appropriateness with students and so we may all participate in healthy prevention of the swine flu.

This easy to use calculator estimates the number of calories needed to gain, maintain, or lose weight. Simply input age, weight, height, exercise level, and gender to receive an estimate of daily calorie needs to maintain current weight. Information is given to help with losing or gaining weight. Other informative links on the site offer diet and exercise advice for beginners as well as articles about nutrition and exercise. Be careful: some links are advertisements. Be sure to check out the diet tools link that offers many other calculators for health, body fat and density, healthy weight range, and more. This same link also offers information about vitamins and minerals and healthy recipes. Be sure to preview the comments at the bottom of the site, as some may be inappropriate to share with younger students.

In the Classroom

During your health unit, ask students to estimate how many calories they think they need or take in each day to maintain their current weight. Then compare their estimate to the actual number based on their personal information. Assign students different articles from the site to read and review. If you are hesitant to use actual student's information due to privacy issues, create fictional characters to use for estimating and comparing. Use this site when presenting a unit on estimation, after using specific examples to set as benchmarks, have students estimate new examples before finding actual figures. Share this site with a Physical Education specialist when collaborating on a health unit.

Meet the "Scrub Club" on this fun and interactive website where using proper hygiene is a must to prevent everyday bacteria from making you sick. Created by the NSF International, there are games, webisodes, and even a story about hand sanitizer. Try interactives that teach about how to keep bacteria and other germs at bay.

In the Classroom

Use this website to help teach younger students about health and personal hygiene. Share a webisode on the interactive whiteboard or projector to introduce the concept of hygiene, then have students work in learning centers with one of the interactives on the interactive whiteboard or projector as a station for learning. The interactives are not just about game play, but rather provide the participants with information and facts as they progress through the steps.

This is an extensive collection of ready to go, teacher-made SMART Notebook activities. This collection covers all grade levels and subject areas. Click Elementary, Middle School, Jr. High, or High School to find the many (MANY) resources). The topics vary greatly and the quantity is impressive. You must have Smart Board software installed on your computer to open these files. Some files will work using the SMART Notebook Express online viewer available here. (Download the notebook file from Longwood's collection to your desktop and then upload to SMART Notebook Express site.)

In the Classroom

These lessons are great for the new SMART Board user or the seasoned pro. Use these if you need a lesson but don't have time to create one from scratch. View the lessons and use them to help you create your own lesson. Click the different tabs to view the different grade levels. Please note that all of these activities require SMART Notebook software (which comes with SMART brand IWBs). Don't have SMART brand IWB's? Some files will work using the SMART Notebook Express online viewer available here. (Download the notebook file from Longwood's collection to your desktop and then upload to SMART Notebook Express site.) If you use a lesson, go to the staff directory under District Information -> Email Directory and send the creator a thank you. Think how great it would be to receive an email from a teacher "out there" thanking YOU for sharing?

This site contains many educational games sorted by categories. The range of topics goes from Math to reading and much more. There are geography map activities, logic puzzles, Fire Safety, and much more! Apps are also included for iphone users to download. Activities are a compilation of Ramo's own content and different resources on the internet, and the site is updated regularly.

In the Classroom

Save this site in your favorites on your classroom computer and use it as a center. Introduce the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate games students will use for specific content practice. This is definitely a link to provide on your class website or blog for students to access both in and out of school.

Choose from a great selection of experiments, games, and activities to challenge students with science concepts. Choose from many activities in the following categories: "The Lab Car," "Mission to Vearth," "The Science Gym," and "Spark Club." Creating a login is not required to play. Registering allows points to accumulate and view progress through the site. Click on "Educators" for information on creating a Science Club and other information.

In the Classroom

Use the activities in each section to compliment other activities. For example, use activities in "The Science Gym" to learn about Respiration and Fitness. Share some of this site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. View printable instructions for each activity, simple directions (some require actual classroom materials,) and answer the conclusion questions. Play Smartfoot Nutrition to answer questions about nutrition and healthy living in a fun and interactive way.

This site is all about teeth! There are quizzes, picture diagrams, terms, definitions, and more. This site includes interactives for elementary, middle, and high school students. Some examples of topics include: Dentist Office, Cavity Prevention, Types of Teeth, Baby Teeth, Parts of the Mouth, Tongue Anatomy, Facial Anatomy, and others. All of the quizzes include options to learn more about the terms and definitions before taking the quiz.

In the Classroom

This is a fabulous site to use during Dental Health Month! Share the visuals (and quizzes) on your projector or interactive whiteboard. The activities and quizzes are divided into 3 levels (elementary, middle school, and high school). Find a topic/quiz that will work with your students. Challenge older students to investigate one of the topics presented at this site and create an interactive infographic using Piktochart, reviewed here, to share what they learned.

Are you looking for some "fresh" ideas to put an end to bullying in your classroom but are not sure where or how to start? Well, you are in the right place. This web site brings attention to No Name-Calling Week: an annual week of realistic educational activities designed to end all types of name-calling. No Name-Calling Week was inspired by the young adult novel, The Misfits, and presents an opportunity to address bullying as an increasingly, ongoing issue. Whether you are a teacher, student, administrator, counselor, or parent, there is an abundance of useful ideas, activities, and materials for elementary, middle, and high schools to promote anti-bullying awareness, and they are all free!

In the Classroom

Use the resources from this web site to plan and implement lessons that students will relate to, and help to bring an end to harmful name-calling and "dissing." Select some of the many safe Web 2.0 tools reviewed by TeachersFirst Edge, such as Automotivator, reviewed here for designing digital posters that can be printed, or PhotoPeach, reviewed here for creating a digital slideshow that includes music, captions, and more. TeachersFirst also has an entire collection of on line resources to create comic strips, available here to drive home the message that bullying is never a laughing matter.

Kids Health by MEDtropolis is a one stop shop for kid friendly information about health and other biological issues. This site has a ton of things to do for kids and it is easy to read. It is divided into sections for parents, kids (from ages 8 to 12), and teens. Each section is full of information, activities, games, and interactive modules that have associated quizzes. Note that the teen section does include information on birth control, STDs, and other issues. Make sure the content is aligned with your school policies before sharing in class.

In the Classroom

Try using this website in health class to teach about healthy eating. Or, use this in family consumer science for teens to have students find their own recipes to make in class. Have students evaluate the recipes based on standard nutritional and health guidelines. Assign cooperative learning groups a certain segment of this website and have the groups create multimedia presentations. Have students create podcasts using a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here).

This site provides excellent practice and review with different Science topics. Topics include plants, human body, the solar system, weather, matter and more. After choosing a topic, various additional choices are offered. For example, under Force and Matter options are available to choose inertia, action and reaction, simple machines, acceleration, and gravity and inertia. Key vocabulary is presented along with a short video explanation of the topic. Don't miss the "karaoke" videos about each topic - sure to delight students (and teachers). In addition to the video, there is an option to test your own ability. Each topic can also be printed to use in the classroom and there is a link to related "jams."

In the Classroom

Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a Science unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Share the videos and/or karaoke with your students. Have students sing along and learn more about science. Especially younger students will enjoy this feature. Create a link to the site on your classroom website or blog for students to use for review and practice at home. Include a link on your classroom newsletter so that parents can use the site at home with their student. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. View the videos on your interactive whiteboard, print out the quizzes for students to take as an assessment.

Use CurriConnects to find books related to curriculum topics or subject areas. Build student literacy skills, reinforce the place of curriculum concepts in other contexts, and help students build the important reading strategy of connecting what they read to prior knowledge. Share CurriConnects as links on your class web page or wiki or share them with school and local libraries where students can select books to accompany what they are studying. Topics include Earth Science, Explorers, Frontiers and Settlers, Geographic Wonders (landforms), Inventors and Inventions, Maps, Math in Use, Medicine and Health, The Artists's Eye (books with outstanding illustrations and books about artists), What Do You Do? (careers). More are being added on an ongoing basis. Grade ranges vary.

In the Classroom

Share CurriConnects as links on your class web page or wiki or share them with school and local libraries where students can select books to accompany what they are studying. Explore the many ideas TeachersFirst offers for using CurriConnects in your classroom. Be sure to share these lists with ESL/ELL teachers for reading selections to build student vocabulary and understanding of curriculum.

Intended as a promotion to explain the new CPR technique, this site features user-controlled "hands" you click to create different rhythmic patterns (with your speakers turned up, of course). Turn different rhythms off and on by clicking. Choose from hip-hop, dance, or Latin rhythms. Scroll down to see the original intent of the site and learn about hands-only CPR from a video and quick visual checklist. You can send your created music "track" to a friend via email or share it via Facebook. The AHA will certainly get the word out quickly with this catchy toy!

In the Classroom

Music teachers trying to build understanding of basic rhythms will love sharing this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard and having students create their own rhythms online, then duplicate them with their own hands to build music listening skills. Health teachers can use the site to draw attention to the new CPR and invite students to send it out to their friends and family members.

Follow the directions in this simulation to become acquainted with the parts of the cell and the basic processes such as obtaining energy. Follow the narrative, choose "review" to go back to information learned in past screens, and click on the encyclopedia to learn unfamiliar words. Note: The link to "Mature" makes this site a poor choice for students to navigate on their own, since few students are "mature" enough to ignore such temptation. It is unfortunate that the site's creators included this.

In the Classroom

Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector, viewing this site to provide background information for further discussion in class. Have students work in groups to organize what they onserve and learn in the whole-class exploration, creating a mind map using bubbl.us (reviewed here). Use class discussion to uncover misconceptions and promote student understanding.

This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers, parents, and students learn about dental health. Whether you plan a special unit or lesson on this topic for Dental Health Month or select from these resources for a related health unit, you will find useful ideas and strategies for students and adults to learn about healthy teeth and mouths.

In the Classroom

Be sure to share these resources with parents and your parent organization via your class or school web page during Dental Health Month (February) and back to school health checks. These resources will also be helpful when teaching lessons on teeth and bones as part of a Human Body unit.

This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help students learn about drugs and alcohol for Red Ribbon week/month or at any time during the year. Use these resources to plan events for Red Ribbon week or projects and classroom activities for drug and alcohol prevention. No matter what time of year, you can find information and activities to maintain the anti-drug message in your classroom and school.

Learning Games has a large selection of games divided into easy to find categories. Topics include typing, music, history, science, health and more. For example, in the Social Studies category there are games to learn U.S. presidents and women in history. Each game includes an explanation of game rules. There is even a category with education songs and videos that includes Science songs!

In the Classroom

Include this site for your computer center time. Challenge students to post the highest score on the math games. Use the keyboarding practice games to help students learn proper keyboard placement of fingers.

With the use of familiar characters from the Arthur book and television series this science interactive will help young students understand what allergens can trigger an asthma attack. Students must capture allergens that can trigger an asthma attack. If they catch enough allergens then the the throat will close up and the game is over. Before each new "capture challenge" there is a short informational talk from Buster Baxter about the specific allergen.

In the Classroom

Use this activity as part of a health or science lesson. Use as an introduction to a discussion about asthma. Introduce the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector and then have students try out the game on individual computers, or as a learning center. After learning some facts about asthma have students create bookmarks with one fact that they learned. Have students trade their bookmark with a classmate.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program has a colorful new "cool" website that cleverly teaches students how to resist peer pressure, abstain from drugs, violence, and gangs. Fun features such as Lucky Kat TV provide cartoons and videos about Internet safety, confronting bullies, and the correct use of prescription drugs. There are opportunities to share photos, poems, and videos and engage in interactive activities. Follow the adult link for more in-depth information meant for parents and caregivers.

In the Classroom

Classes that are participating in the D.A.R.E program may want to bookmark this site on the computers in the learning station and use it as a center. Turn a podium style lecture into a more active learning experience. Project activities such as "D.A.R.E. Squares" onto an interactive whiteboard or projector and enjoy learning about the dangers of using prescription drugs that belong to others. Many of the site features will work as great starting points for individual or group projects. Have your students create an interactive online poster using Visme, reviewed here. Even if your school does not have a D.A.R.E. program in place, this site will support content taught during red ribbon week or health class. Share this link on your class web page and/or in a parent newsletter for those who are dealing with these challenges.

Building Blocks assists parents and caregivers of children age 3 - 6 to foster healthy decision making skills and suggests ways to protect children from developing harmful behaviors and habits later in life. The family section suggests tips for positive parenting, fun family activities, and how to teach social skills. The educator section contains lesson plans, links to valuable web sites and resources for preschool curriculum. Children will enjoy the animated cartoons and characters found in the site's friendship circle. There are interactive activities, songs, and e-cards. You will want to take note that with parental permission students can send the site's cartoon character emails.

In the Classroom

Preschool,preK,and Kindergarten educators will find resources on this site to promote creative problem solving and engaging lessons for young children. These age appropriate activities are also perfect for kindergarten and pre-school classrooms participating in Red Ribbon week. Save this site in your favorites on classroom computers and let the students explore the site alone or in groups. Download the sing-along-songs and incorporate dance into your daily routine. Project the games onto an interactive whiteboard or projector and play "Simon Says," talk about emotions and develop memory skills.

Download a free planning guide and additional resource materials for Red Ribbon week. The National Family Partnership was the sponsor of the first Red Ribbon week back in 1988. They work to educate youth about dangers of underage drinking and drug abuse. Articles on this site include tips on how to prevent substance abuse and inspire adults to participate in drug prevention activities.

In the Classroom

Schools participating in Red Ribbon week may want to post a link to this site on the school website to explain the history and purpose of this campaign. This site focuses primarily on parent support. This is a helpful resource to stay up to date with drug abuse trends and advice to offer families dealing with these issues.